Externally illuminated exit indicator for an enclosure



United States Patent 3,009,751 EXTERNALLY ILLUMINATED EXKT INDICATOR FGR AN ENCLOSURE Louis E. Bar-brow, Washington, D.C., and Robert S. Wyly, Kensington, Md, assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Commerce Filed Get. 21, 1960, Ser. No. 64,228 4 Claims. (Cl. 312-223) This invention relates to a source of illumination which permits the door of a refrigerator, freezer or similar enclosure to be located and opened easily from the inside.

In recent years a number of children have perished as a result of entrapment in ice boxes, refrigerators, and freezers. As numbers go, these are few compared with accidental deaths from other causes, but the thought of even a small number of helpless children sufiocating needlessly is so appalling as to have created widespread interest in the problem. This invention solves the problem by taking into account the likelihood that a child entrapped in a refrigerator or similar enclosure, because of panic or extreme youth, will turn toward a source of light in search of an exit which will allow him to get out.

There are arrangements in the prior art which provide a source of light near a release mechanism which when pushed or turned will enable a child to open the door of an enclosure from the inside. One of these coats the release mechanism with a phosphorescent material which glows in the dark. This has the disadvantage that the phosphorescent material may combine with and contaminate food stored in the refrigerator. Another, employing Lucite rods positioned through the refrigerator door in the vicinity of the release mechanism, has the disadvantage that it lessens the effectiveness of the insulation and hinders the storage of food on the door. Both of these arrangements suffer from the defect that they do not give the impression of an exit to an entrapped person.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a source of illumination for an enclosure which will not reduce the insulation or endanger or hinder the storage of food and which will simulate the crack in a partially opened door.

This is accomplished by providing a cabinet with translucent material along at least one edge of the door or closure of the cabinet. More specifically, a gasket positioned between the cabinet and the closure is made of translucent material, or translucent material such as Plexiglas is positioned in at least one side of the cabinet in an edge near the door. The light passing through the translucent gasket or the Plexiglas forms a source of constant illumination in the vicinity of the leading edge of the door or of the release mechanism within the cabinet.

In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a refrigerator incorporating an embodiment of the/present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the refrigerator; and

FIG. 3 discloses section 33 taken through the refrigerato'r as shown in FIG. 2, illustrating details of one embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional household refrigerator is disclosed comprising a cabinet having an outer shell 11 surrounding an inner shell 12. Breaker strip 13 joins the edges of, and insulating material 14 is located between, the shells. A translucent strip of material 15 is located in and through one wall of cabinet 10 near breaker strip 13, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Sealing gasket 16 is disposed around the outer periphery of the inner panel of door 17, while safety-release mechanism 18 is placed on the inner panel and insulating material 1.4 is located in the door. Safety-release mechanism 18 may be one of a variety of conventional types such as disclosed in US. Patent No. 2,849,250, issued to Cecil M. Williamson on August 26, 1958, or US. Patent No. 2,823,940, issued to Herbert D. Squire on February 28, 1958, or the door may be kept closed magnetically.

Since safety-release mechanism 18 is positioned near the leading edge 19 of door 17, the portion of gasket 16 along that edge is formed of translucent material andstrip 15, which may be plexiglas, is positioned in the edge of cabinetlti to be near the leading edge of the door when the gasket engages the cabinet. Any desired portion of gasket 16 could, of course, be made of translucent material and strip of material 15 could be any desired length and could be disposed in any number of places along the edges of the cabinet nearest the door.

From the drawings it is apparent that when door 17 is closed light transmitted through gasket 16 and strip 15 will form a source of illumination within the cabinet along the leading edge of the door and in the vicinity of release mechanism 18.

Various modifications are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, in a particular embodiment only gasket 16 or translucent strip of material 15 might be used. It is therefore to be understood that Within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

We claim:

1. In combination, a cabinet comprising an outer and inner shell, insulating material located between the shells and a breaker strip joining the edges of the shells, a closure, a gasket positioned on said closure for sealing the space between the closure and cabinet, a strip of translucent material positioned through the shells, adjacent said reaker strip and near the leading edge of said closure when said gasket engages said breaker strip and means for holding said gasket in contact with said breaker strip.

2. In combination, a cabinet comprising an outer and inner shell, insulating material located between the shells and a breaker strip joining the edges of the shells, a closure, a gasket formed at least in part of translucent material and positioned on said closure for sealing the space between the closure and cabinet, a strip of translu cent material positioned through the shells, adjacent said breaker strip and near the leading edge of said closure when said gasket engages said breaker strip, and means for holding said gasket in contact with said breaker strip.

3. In combination, a closure, a cabinet, a gasket formed at least in part of translucent material and positioned on said closure for sealing the space between the closure and cabinet, and means for holding said gasket in contact with said cabinet.

4. In combination, a closure, a cabinet, a gasket formed at least in part of translucent material and positioned on said closure for sealing the space between the closure and cabinet, a strip of translucent material positioned contact with said cabinet. 4

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,659,116 Korb Nov. 17, 1953 2,784,022 North Mar. 5, 1957 2,853,931

North Sept. 30, 1958 

